Improvement in harvester-rakes



W. F. COCHRANE.

Harvester-Bakes.

Patented April 7, I874.

INVENTOR WC'FGoqkmne- WITJVESSES Zclr Attorneys.

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\VILLIAM F. OOOHR-ANin, OF LA FAYETTE, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTER-RAKES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 149,445, dated April 7,1874 application filed December 15, 1873.

OAsE D.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM F. UoonnANE, of La Fayette, in the county of Tippecanoe and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Harvester- R-eels and Reel-Posts; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the reel and its connections with the harvester. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the reel-shaft bracket and a section of the socket for the reel-ar'ms. Fig. 3 is a transverse section in the line a" 00, Fig. 2; and Fig. A is a detached sectional view of the adjustable sleeve and loekingpin for connecting the back brace to the reel-post.

Similar letters of reference in the accompanying drawings denote the same parts.

My invention has for its object to simplify and improve the construction of harvesterreels and their supporting-posts. To the accomplishment of these results the invention consists, first, in combining with the reel-post pivoted to the forward upturned end of the inn er shoe, transversely to the latter and ed gewise to the frame of the harvester, an adjustable back brace for supporting the reel-post at any desired inclination, one end of such brace being pivoted to'the inner shoe in rear of the post, and its upper end connected to such post by an adjustable sleeve held in place by a spring locking-pin. It also consists in the employment of two supporting-arms for each reel-float, such arms being bolted one upon the other at their inner ends within a socket at the upper end of the reel-post, from which point they diverge from each other to the center of the float, where they are secured. By this construction I produce greater elasticityiu the arms and floats, make them lighter, and reduce their cost of manufacture.

In the accompanying drawings, A is the main frame of the harvester mounted upon the wheels B, and O is the inner shoe of the finger-bar pivoted to the bracket of the frame. D is the socket of the reelpost E, pivoted to the forward upturned end of the shoe transversely thereof, to hold the post in a similar position and ed gewise to the main frame. The

post is secured in the socket by a set-screw, v

f, as shown. By this method of arranging and connecting the reel-post to the shoe its lateral strength is greatly increased to resist the weight of the reel pivoted at its upper end, and hanging inward over the cutter-bar. G is the back brace pivoted at its lower end to the shoe, in rear of the cutter-bar, and at its upper end to the back of a sleeve, H, upon the reel-post. The sleeve is cast with a front boss or tube, to receive the pin I, and the pin is surrounded within the boss by a spring, which serves to hold it engaged with any one of the series of holes formed in the reel-post, as shown. By pulling out the pin slightly to disengage it from the holes, and moving the sleeve up or down upon the reel-post, the latter is adjusted to any desired position more or less inclined, being supported firmly by the back brace when the pin is released to again spring into the holes. J is the reel-chain ex tending from the chain-wheel on the main axle of the machine to the chain-wheel on the shaft of the reel-post, passing in its course under the guide-sheave K and tension-sheave L at the foot of the reel-post. The guide-sheave is mounted upon a lateral arm cast upon the socket of the reel-post, and the tension-sheave is mounted upon the lower free end of a long flat spring, H, connected at its upper end to the reel-post by a bracket, N. The tension of this spring is in a direction away from the reelpost, and it therefore presses its sheave rearward against the chain, to preserve the tension of the latter when the reel-post is adjusted by the back brace and sleeve. 0 is the socket for the reel-arms, keyed or otherwise firmly secured to the inner end of the short reel-shaft P, which is journaled at its outer end in an adjustable bracket, Q, at the upper end of the reel-post. The socketOis composed of a hub, R, cast with a series of radial arms, S, inclined to the axis of the shaft, and open or cast with parallel flanges upon their inner faces to receive the reel-arms T, two of which are bolted or otherwise fastened in each of the radial socket-arms, one outside the other, as

shown. By this means the inner ends of the arms are concentrated or fitted together in the radial socket-arms, so that their outer ends shall diverge or spread apart at the center of the reel-floats W, where they are secured; and they may, of course, be spread or sprung open to any desired width upon the floats.

This construction of the reel-arms, and their connection to the floats, renders the latter more elastic, lessens the cost of manufacture materially, and produces a lighter and stronger reel than those commonly in use.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is- Y 1. In combination with the reel-post of a, harvester, pivoted to the forward upturned end of the inner shoe, transversely of the same and edgewise to the main frame, the adjustable back brace, pivoted at its lower end to the shoe, in rear of the reel-post, and connected at its upper end to such reel-post by the adjustable sleeve H, substantially as described, for the purpose specified.

2. The adjustable sleeve H, combined with the reel-post and back brace, and provided with the spring locking-pin I, substantially as described, for the purpose specified.

3. The two supporting-arms of each reel-' float, bolted one upon the other within the socket 0, from which point they diverge to the center of the reel-float, substantially as described, for the purpose specified.

TM. F. COOHRANE. Witnesses:

MELVILLE CHURCH, N. K. ELLSWORTH. 

